Narcosis

I enjoyed it all the way through...it was more of a survival story, than about horror, and more about the journey of the characters and the mystery behind their fates than just scarry cheap thrills. the claustrophobic setting and isolation drew me in, and the ocean depths was awesome. it felt like another world with giant crabs and everything. very well done!...as you try to find the other members of the facility, the narrator pulled me into the story, and the ending left me shocked. wow! ....the details throuhout the buildings made it seem like a place real people would work at and live, and there was only a few scenes of gore. thank you for not over doing it. it was sad to find someone who didnt make it....yes the game is slower paced and may not be a style for everyone. and not too difficult for an average player.

So you're a man exploring the ocean floor in a dive suit. You are equipped with a tiny knife and some flares. You also have a constantly draining oxygen supply but there is enough refills scattered about that it rarely becomes a concern... Unless, you're exploring to try to find all the collectibles. Things occassionally pop up on screen but it isn't accompanied by suspenseful music so it doesnt really make you jump at all... its just there. "Hi, random dive suit that ,suddenly, appeared in front of me when I turned around." Most of the "jump scares" are predictable too. Whenever you NEED to turn around you can bet thats when the jump scare will happen... Except its not really a scare. Overall, I liked the atmosphere, story, and voice acting ( the main guy kinda sounds like Tom Hanks lol ). But it's not really scary or suspenseful. It's a bit too easy, and the helmet POV can get annoying with its limited vision. It's also a short game too.. like 4-5 hours.

First off, please ignore the other reviews claiming that this is not a survival-horror game. It absolutely is. Narcosis is a slow burning exploration game that mixes elements of survival and psychological horror. You are lumbering around the near absolute darkness of the ocean floor trying to piece together what happened that left you stranded and hopefully find a way to escape. The story is primarily delivered via a narration done between two people conducting a post mortem interview. As you progress you slowly start to succumb to narcosis and the environment and puzzles begin to warp and torment you. If you're a fan of old school PC horror games like The Dark Eye where its more about atmosphere and story then I think this will be up your alley. Also you can 100% the achievements with a guide in about two hours. Always a plus.

The game's atmosphere is executed well. The story is interesting and I enjoyed the ending, which I didn't expect. However, this is a walking simulator and not a survival horror game. You never ever feel any real threat as you will never run out of oxygen with plentiful O2 tanks made available. Most sea creatures can't truly kill you, and the ones that can, you simply outsmart. Jump scares are cheap and predictable, always falling flat. The load times are horrible and can get frustrating if you get stuck and have to repeatedly do an area. The hud is meant to be your suit's interface, which creates limited visibility. That's purposeful, but it is far more an annoying hindrance too your playability than lending to supplement the sense of claustrophobia. Overall, decent story and atmosphere, leaving much to be desired everywhere else, even when compared to other walking simulators

It appears the game tries to take an intellectual approach at survival horror, however, the dialogue is awful. The game play is boring. and the jump scares are so repetitious and cliched it's unbelievable. watch the movie sphere instead.